The House Within - A Portrait of Fiona Kidman

What led to the making of this feature documentary?

Joshua: Well Fiona, first of all, and the desire to try to encapsulate my personal feelings about her. The film is a portrait of Fiona, in the same way a painter might do. It was never my intention to make an A to Z biography of her life. This film for me was an exercise in listening. In trying to tune myself into the elements of Fiona’s life and writing that touched something deep within me and then structuring those fragments into a form that could be expressed through cinema. Which is a long way to say that everything is a question of perspective, and cinema is the act of choosing one.

Fiona: The idea of this film came as something of a shock to me, totally unexpected. And yet, when Joshua put this suggestion to me, it didn’t take long to agree. We had had a number of intense and interesting conversations about my novel This Mortal Boy and the driving influences behind that, namely my sense of ‘being Irish’ (an Irish father), the era I grew up in (the same as Albert Black), my views about social justice and conscience, and so on, and these conversations had spilled over into many other related topics. It's also the case that I have shied away from biographical projects that have been put to me in the past, especially literary ones. The idea of a film, as a collaborative act made a lot of sense to me, and there was a lot of trust between us, which I think was essential for a project like this. This was perhaps made easier for me because I have been involved in film over the years and understand something of the medium.

Writer/Director Joshua Prendeville

Joshua, what drives your work as a filmmaker?

J: It’s hard not to come across as overly sincere, but it’s simply the beauty of cinema; those fleeting moments when a film fills up every little corner of you. Then you stumble out of the theatre and the world rushes back in, and you’re no longer the same. The film, and the filmmaker, becomes a companion that you maintain a dialogue with for years to come and gives you a new perspective and understanding of the world. In terms of the drive behind my own work I wouldn’t like to begin trying to articulate that for fear sounding unbearably vain, although I assume it’s all linked to Lacan’s theory of the mirror stage to some degree. A desire to try to understand oneself in relation to the ‘other’; whatever, or whomever, that ‘other’ may be.
 

How did you decide crowdfunding was right for this project?

J: The current funding landscape in New Zealand is in a poor shape. But crowdfunding seemed like a great way to retain control not only over the timeline but also the way in which those resources would ultimately be utilized. I was really touched by the support we received from the Boosted campaign, and the way people rallied behind the film in such an enthusiastic way.
 

A still from feature documentary "The House Within".

You reached a solid 124% of your fundraising target – what were three of your keys to success?

J: Having a project you’re obsessively passionate about is a good start. The second thing would be to try to approach the right people; because, in my experience, when it comes to donations quality over quantity makes it move much faster. So building real relationships with people who are aligned with your intentions is important. I don’t have social media, so most of my energy goes into having conversations with people. There’s no tricks or schemes about it; it’s really a process of meticulously researching who might be in a position to support your project, whether that’s individuals or businesses, and then figuring out how to start a dialogue with them. Lastly, having a clear and achievable outcome. In our case, we needed some additional financing to help get the film through post-production, but the film already existed to a certain degree so people knew they were banking on something tangible. Filmmaking is a very practical medium at the end of the day, and I think it’s important to deliver what you say you will.

Do you think artists have a lot to gain from collaboration between different disciplines and generations?

J: Yes, I really do. I think it’s so easy to find yourself in an echo chamber, particularly when it comes to making art. The ongoing conversation I have with Fiona, for example, is really important to me as it allows me to have a firmer understanding of the circumstances, whether they be social, cultural or artistic, that led us to where we are. I think without that historical context and knowledge we risk flitting from one intrigue to another without ever forming a coherent whole that has an accumulative substance. In the end it all comes down to talking and listening; and trying your best to do those things with honesty and an openness to viewpoints that contradict and provoke you.

Dame Fiona Kidman in a still from "The House Within".

Fiona, how have you found having your story told on the big screen?

F: I have only seen a rough cut of the film. On the whole, I liked it. Saying ‘on the whole’ is not a qualification about the film itself, it's just such a startling thing to see oneself on a big screen. It was like looking at a character I kind of recognized, someone I might know. (Do I know her? An open question.) The film is visually beautiful, powerful cinematography, perfect framing.

You’ve dedicated so much of your life to art and literature – what keeps you going?

F: Oh, hard to say. Writing is where the inner life is lived, I suppose. And what is one without an inner life? The film’s title of The house within is apt. It’s a place I constantly explore in my head but without the mental space to write it down, I’m just a bit lost. I like working with and for writers too, there is a lot of satisfaction in seeing someone’s manuscript through from early reading to a complete book.
 

What’s a personal highlight of your career so far?

F: That is really hard to answer, because I have been actively calling myself a writer for 62 years. The first acceptance of a short story falling through the letter box when I was a young mother writing in the suburbs? It would have to be one of them. But the year I was the Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton stands out as time of unparallelled joy, a time of personal discovery, a shift in my approach to my work.
 

Dame Fiona Kidman outside the Katherine Mansfield Memorial room in Menton, France, 2006.

What was the first creative experience that turned the light on for you?

F: There isn’t really just one. There were always books, even in the most impoverished circumstances of my early life. My parents were readers, and so was I. And then there was the CAS (Community Arts Services), touring troupes of musicians and players who used to appear in little provincial villages and towns up north. The pianist Lili Kraus used to stay at the boarding house where my mother was a cook, and I would hear her play at night and fall victim to her charm by day, trailing behind her to rivers and waterfalls where she taught me to swim. And it was through the CAS that the really big moment of enlightenment hit me, when Edith Campion played Joan of Arc in Whangarei, and I went on a school trip to see the play. The theatre, the play, the performances, I was swept away. I would have like to act but proved hopeless, but I did form a strong wish to become involved in theatre- writing for it seemed like an opening. That led to writing for radio, and later for television. So that was definitely a turning point.
 

What do you think the arts and creativity provide us as a nation?

F: It’s soul, I guess. Perhaps I am a voice in the wilderness, but it seems to me that the recognition of creativity in a human heart, is to see the person for who they are, and to offer them a glimpse of life’s possibilities. A better and more humane society. But if that all seems romantic and vague, may I say that the arts make a considerable contribution to the economic welfare of the country. The margins tend to be very small for the creators, but collectively their output brings in considerable wealth. They also provide a sense of identity, a narrative about who we are as a nation.
 

How can Aotearoa/New Zealand better support its artists?

F: Oh, look to Ireland. A living wage. Simple as that. There is something pretty old fashioned about the idea that we must suffer for our art, that it somehow does us good to go without and sing for our supper. Time consuming and energy sapping.

Tickets to see "The House Within" in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch this August as part of the 2024 New Zealand International Film Festival are selling fast!

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